Australian Rats

09 November, 2007

Answer: This little creature is a Bush Rat, Rattus fuscipes. It’s one of Australia’s many species of native rat.

Native rats are often mistaken for introduced rats. In eastern Australia, people most often confuse the Bush Rat and the introduced Black Rat, Rattus rattus.

This is an easy mistake to make. The two species are similar in size and both have fur that is quite variable in its colour and pattern.

The subspecies of Bush Rat that lives in eastern Australia is called Rattus fuscipes assimilis. Any Latin scholar will tell you the latter name, assimilis, means ‘similar’. It was given the name assimilis because it looks so much like the introduced Black Rat.

Despite their similarities, there are a number of ways to distinguish between the Bush Rat and the Black Rat.

Bush Rats are shy. They rarely enter buildings and are usually found well away from human habitation. They do not construct nests in buildings. Black Rats, on the other hand, love to nest in buildings, particularly in roofs.

Bush Rats have rounded ears. Black Rats have thin pointed ears.

Black Rats have long tails – their tails are as long, or longer, than the length of their bodies (from the snout to base of the tail). The tails of Bush Rats are shorter than their body length.

These are good identification points but it is always worth checking with a reliable expert.

Comments (70)

I have rats in my garage,they are agile climbers,and they get into my chook yard,they have a shorter snout,they are grey with a brilliant white underbelly,and thier eyes and ears are definately rounder,i will attach a photo if i can get one,but i want them gone ,i am afraid they might be native,i live on nsw central coast,i am in residential area,but have lots of coastal bushland around me,id appreciate,your opinion,regards kath

I have a similar one in the bush at murdoch university undera tree in the bushes. She sounds like what u described. We think ours is a bush rat. She gets on very well with the quendas

Discovery Centre
7 September, 2009 13:48

Without a photo and only a brief description, it's quite hard for us to identify a specimen. We will pass this on to our resident experts to see if they have an idea, but it would definitely help if you provided a description of the size and colour of the rat, as well as an image, to our identification service link above.

After consulting one of our experts, it seems, from the brief description, that you may have the introduced black rat (rattus rattus) in your garage. Bush Rats tend to be restricted to the bush and we are unaware of any instance where they would frequent chook yards. Again, a photograph would be most helpful in determining the identification.

we live on the midnorthcoast and in the current hot dry weather we have seen them thru the day {in the chook pen} drinking water in the house as well but they do not linger. definitely not the black rat

Penny Garnsworthy
17 October, 2009 17:27

A friend's dog recently caught a rat in their house and my friend believed it was some sort of bush rat as it had a furry tail as opposed to a smooth tail. Would this be correct?

Hi Penny - The fact that it had a furry tail eliminates any kind of rat. There are, however, a number of other small native mammals with furry tails. We suggest that you have a look through the mammal photos on the Bioinformatics site, and see if any of those look right. The Collection Manager of Mammalogy suggests that you may wish to start with the phascogale.

This page was really useful.
We live on a small farm on the outskirts of Albury-Wodonga.
We have just come back from a few days away and saw what we thought could be rat faeces on the floor of our pantry (but pale green/grey not black like mice poo!). Whilst washing the dishes tonight we saw, just outside our window, what we are pretty sure is a pair of bush rats. We were going to set rat traps tonight but wont in case we have bush rats (colour, round ears, short tails etc as per your advice above suggests that these are bush rats not black rats). The point is what do we do now? I will call the local council tomorrow to get some advice-maybe they can set some traps that wont harm the native species. Is there another organisation that will trap the native species. Perhaps they will move on now that we (and the dogs) are back? Are these native species endangered? Presumably so and we would prefer to play it safe and not set the traps. Thanks for any advice that you can give.

unearthed a burrowed nest when emptying our long-neglected compost bin. we live near jervis bay nsw and while it is a suburban area we have a lot of native animals around - to the extent that we have eastern grey roos on our front verandah most evenings. Anyway, I didnt get to see the adult that left the nest but have been caring for the surviving offspring since. They have a very short snout, I think the foreleg is longer than a mouse and the bone seems to flare and broaden above the ankle.The coat is VERY thick and plush - not flat and smooth like pet mice/rats - sim to brush-tail possum? Belly is creamy yellow, rest of the coat agouti - similar to eastern grey roos or brush-tailed possum colour patterns. The agouti coat extends to the toes which are then white. The tail is not naked or scaled which is what stood out immed. Tail fur is short and smooth and is the same colour as the belly on the underside and upper sides but then there is a perfectly symmetrical thick black stripe which begins about 1 mm from the base of the tail to the very tip of the tail.The fur from the black stripe extends a little over the end of the tail making it appear slightly longer than it is. Even so, the tail is still much shorter than a pet rat or mouse in relation to overall bodylength. I think they have the usual rodent tooth pattern although the bottom teeth angle to form a V - like a rat rather than looking the same as the upper set -as you see in mice. The ears are also very diff to pet mice/rats. They're small and rounded - a bit like a teddy bear AND like the tail, they're not naked. The inside of the ear is heavily furred - same colour as the belly hair. My kids have a book on Aust mammals and it says there's 64!! species of native rodent. Our book only has pix of 10.The closest in colour to our mystery babies is the chestnut mouse but our pic doesnt show the tail. Oh and at present they're about 5cm incl the tail. They opened their eyes for the 1st time 3days ago - we've had them 12 days now. This is less relevant to id them but they seem to have better hand control than our pet mice/rats and they wash themselves like a cat rather than like a rodent. Any ideas? Am hoping the stripe on the tail will make it easy to ID but so far I havn't found anything...

Hi Justine, although you have provided an outstanding description, in order to offer an accurate identification, the Collection Manager will require an image of the animal. Could you please take some photos and email them through to us at discoverycentre@museum.vic.gov.au and quote your enquiry number, DC ENQ 70749.

I saw a rat on the way home from work, in slashed grass beside the bikeway that runs along the freeway, which is in Mt Coottha national park. Unfortunately I didn't get a photo, but I will try if I see it again.
Anyway, maybe it can be ID'd from behaviour - it was browsing through the short grass, lifting up patches of mowed grass, looking for something - no idea what. What made it stand out to me is the head nose was narrower, pointer, and very 'triangular looking' compared to a rat.
Also, I snuck up behind it - it must have been distracted by the traffic. It slowly approached me, then ran off when I backed away, but didn't go very far and kept coming back. It looked pregnant.
The ears in the bush rat photo here:
http://australianmuseum.net.au/image/Bush-Rat/
look (to me) to be identical to the black rat above.

At Lake Macquarie foreshore we have observed a large number of rates coming down from a large tree to raid the feed of a cage of doves. As soon as a person comes near they scatter up the tree. About the same size as a black rat but brown in colour.

Hi, I have millions of rats! We keep chooks and even though I made a rat-proof cage, they have found a way in (they also eat the eggs). They are the colour of a rabbit and have beautiful white fluff underneath and no hair on their tails. I don't mind having them around and don't want to poison them - but there are so many, I wondered if there is any sort of birth control I can give them?!!

Hi, the Museum can help with identifying the specimen of rats you have at your property (provided we have a clear image or the specimen) but we cannot offer advice on birth control. Perhaps contacting your local vet or zoo will assist you with this type of information.

Hi, I have a very cheeky rat that keeps feeding on my native bird seed (we are in Eltham, Vic). He climbs up the Wisteria and onto the feeder on the deck. Has lately been feeding in broad daylight! His ears are large and rounded, large round black eyes, grey/light brown coloured fur, and his underside is cream. Tail seems longer than as described by some above regarding bush rat. He is bold as brass. I took a photo last night of him sharing the feeder with an escapee parakeet that has adopted me. Anyway, is this a bush rat and if so would it be wrong to trap/kill him? He's only a pest because he eats all the feed and the lorikeets etc don't get any. I am not sure how to attach the photo?

I have a question about a (confirmed) Rattus rattus (and we know it is a Rattus rattus from the excellent descriptions provided in this forum!)
We live in MT Eliza and have been here for 5 years, in that time never seen a rat. Last week we saw our first rat walking across our deck in day light - we chased him back into the garden. Last night a rat came into the lounge room while we were watching the TV - you can imagine the commotion this caused. After successfully chasing/herding the rat back outside I am left to ponder - why are the rats suddenly appearing? Why are they coming indoors (they've never done so previously). What has caused this change in behavior? Is it weather related (the wet summer?) I'm curious to know what has caused the delta in behavior...

Hi Heather - Despite the common name, the Black Rat Rattus rattus is rarely black - individuals can vary from a tan or fawn colour to darker browns and greys, sometimes with pale or white ventral regions, however this pale pelt is not always evident and as such is not always useful for definitive identification.

Although the related Bush Rat Rattus fuscipes and Swamp Rat Rattus lutreolus are also variable in colour, a good rule of thumb is if the animal has a tail length greather than the remaining body size, it is likelty to be R. rattus.

Hi Kevin - we think you are right when you suggest the recent wet summer might account for the abundance of Rattus rattus at the moment; certainly we are getting more requests to identify these than any other mammal. The wet summer has meant that animals and their food sources have increased and/or are more visible - perhaps the conditions over summer have triggered the abundance of food resouirces for this omnivorous species.

Hi, My neighbour in suburban Ivanhoe (Melbourne) tells me he has a colony of bush rats in his back yard. I am concerned about the hygeine aspect. Since it is generally agreed that rats and mice can carry and spread disease, is this also the case with bush rats. The local council issues directives about how to get rid of vermin. I wonder if bush rats are exempt? We are a long way from any bush as such and I know that there are also rats and mice of the regular variety hanging around. I'm all for conservation of threatened species, but not if it means there is a risk of community hygeine being affected.

Hi Tim - there are a couple of issues here; firstly Bush Rats are not vermin; they are a native species and as such do not have the health and hygeine concerns associated with introduced rodents such as the Black Rat, Brown Rat and House Mouse.

Having said that, without seeing the specimens it is difficult to be certain what species of Rat your neighbour is reffering to, but it is unlikely to be a Bush Rat Rattus fuscipes, as this species is not known from the Melbourne Metropolitan area. In order for us to assist, could you or your neighbour photograph one of the animals in question and send it to us via the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page? This way we can resolve what animal; we are dealing with.

Hello Robert - Rattus fuscipes is a native species endemic to Australia, and as such is protected. We aren't aware of the need for any eradication measures for this shy species, as they are rarely associated with human habitation.

We live in a new house in rural central victoria. We have what I thought was black rats but are a close look at one I'm not sure. This light brown rat has a furry covered tail. Not scaley at all. My cat had one bailed up but it escaped. So, it looks in most respects to be a black rat, is rat sized, lives in our roof apparently, climbs like a ninja, is seen in daylight often, but with the furry tail.
So what is it?

Hi David, just wondering if you ever got a response to your comment about ninja type rats with a fury tail. The brush tailed phascogale, or tuan has a long black fury tail. At its tip it is even more bushier. Their body is usually a greyish colour, thin and long like a rat with similar sharp pointed nose and roundish ears. Colours can differ. These are very common in areas around warrandyte, king lake and surrounding bush type properties. It is a carnivourous marsupial and considered quite rare as a species. They will take advantage of living in your roof, and will usually hunt several times at night being a nocturnal animal. I would think myself pretty privaliged to have a family of them living in the roof. Good luck hope this is what it is and not just a boring old rat!

Discovery Centre
8 July, 2011 13:09

Hi Mel - this is a complex one, as there are a few seperate creatures involved. First of all, the animal in the image is not a rat or a rodent of any kind - this is an Antechinus; although these are rodent shaped and sized, they are entirely different animals - Antechinus are marsupials; they are much more closely related to Tasmanian Devils and Quolls than they are to rats and mice. The distinctive conical head, pointed snout and row of sharp molars make it easy to tell this is not a rat or mouse.

Regarding the burrow complex, this sounds more like the work of rats if it is extensive, as Antechinus would not build an extensive network (but do make small burrows in undergrowth). Both Bush Rats Rattus fuscipes (which are native rodents) and Black Rats Rattus rattus build networks of burrows, and both are common in the Dandenongs. If you wanted to be certain who the burrowers are, we would need to see a picture of one of the culprits, which can be sent to us by using the 'Contact Us' option at the bottom of the page.

I have kept pet rats (Lab type) and are very taken with their personality and their ability to be wonderful companion animals. After putting out humane rat traps we caught three female rats that were making their home in the wall of our house and being very noisy at 4am. They are quite attractive little creatures and don't know what to do with them as i think they are black rats. As pet rats are quite short-lived (last one was only 18months when we had to get vet to put him to sleep with mycoplasmosis)Is there anyone cross breeding wild rats with lab rats to produce a pet rat with a longer life span?

On my way home i came across a small animal (which initially looked like an introduced rat) sitting in the middle of the road. I stopped to try and get it off the road so it wouldnt get run over. I think it was a bush rat - it didnt move initiatlly and i thought it was injured. As i got closer i realised it was definitely not an introduced rat. Fortunately it ran off the road into the bush. Ive never seen one in the wild and always wanted to - it was fantastic to see.

We live in Albury NSW and our dog has just presented us with what we believe may be a bush rat.. it was dead but was still warm. The tail is about the same length as the body, it has small rounded ears and although 'wet' seems to be brown or varied brown in colour - mottled. I am attempting to send you photos through the contact us option....

we are in the Bellarine in Geelong and i am wondering whether i maybe have both types of rats. We have a chook shed and have a colony of rats there which eat the food and are quite a nuisance and only seem active at night - they seem pretty typical of R rattus. In our large garden we have now a lot of native grasses and other plants and there appears to be a pair of rats that have burrows and pathways in the grasses and also seem to come out more during the day. However, it is hard to get a good look at them. we are also close to a native reserve. We the massive amount of growth this year and s0 also have a lot mice n other pests. I want to kill the R rattus but obv not the native. Is it possible to have both types together (we are on an acre and so there is about 50m between the two sites)

Hi Peter - although an image would be useful so we could be more definitive, it certainly is possible going by your description that you have a combination of Native and Introduced Rat species living in relatively close proximity. The introduced Rattus rattus is far more likely to be the 'pest' one in the chook house, but both Bush and Black Rats can build a network of burrows. If you have the chance, try to gauge the tail length relative to its body when you next see one - if the tail is longer than the rest of the body, the chances of it being a Black Rat are very high.

We have a chooks and had a lot of trouble with birds and mice coming to eat chook grain. We have solved the problem by using a self feeder we purchased from The Diggers Club. It has stopped the problem immediately.

I know this is in Queensland, but I was hoping you could help identify this animal. It sort of looks like a rat but it doesn't walk- it sort of hops. It really doesn't worry about humans however if you get too close, it gets pretty defensive and jumps at you. It jumped about 2ft in the air. I live in Brisbane, next to a main road and across the other side is a state forest. Here is a link to a photo taken with the i-phone so sorry about the quality!

Hi Amie - Thanks for the identification request; I have taken the liberty of removing the link you included in your comment, as the link was causing formatting problems with our website.

I did closely examine the animal in the image you sent us, and I can confirm that the animal is indeed liklely to be a species of Rattus, however because your image doesn't show the full length of the tail of the animal, it isn't possible to identify the species. The behaviour and setting you describe unfortunately don't help to differentiate the animal from an introduced Black Rat Rattus rattus and native rats.

If you have any additional images, feel free to send them to us via the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page and we will do our best to identify the animal as best we can.

some small creature is making long irrigation-like channels in our heavily mulched garden where many bulbs flourish - but not any more - the bulbs are being eaten and all we are left with is dead flowers and leaves. now 'it' has started on the tiny species gladolii. any suggestions please.

I am so pleased to find this site where people are so keen to find out what the species is before implementing any kind of irradication methods. We live in one of the most beautiful and unique countries in the world. We owe it to this fine earth to protect our little creatures from extinction, because truly looking out for the environment, animals and ecosystems can only mean success for ourselves!!! thanks for caring x

My small dog has caught a black rat and a native rat in our garden. I know we also have rats in our roof. If I put traps or poison in our roof only will this spare the cute native rats. I lost my whole veggie garden last year to rats of both types I think.
Tks for interesting posts

Hi, whilst moving sheets of metal on my property in victoria, i noticed a group of blue rats living underneath it - do we have native rats which are blue in color or is it just a color mutation you can get in introduced rats? The ears were rounded, the tail didn't seem to be that long either.

Hello,
I live on a large block of land on the side of a hill running down to a creek in Mt Eliza and am lucky enough to have what I think is a colony of Swamp Rats sharing my land with me. They have dug lots of tunnels under the plants and the ground is quite spongy. The tunnels would range for a good 5 metres.
I have never seen one until today when it was digging a hole well away from the normal area - right next to the house and under a small fibreglass fishpond.
My question is will they stay there for a long time or will they move to another section of the block and will the tunnels system get bigger?

Hi Natalie - we checked with our Mammalogy Curator on this, and he has said the following in response to your query:

They will stay as long as conditions are suitable for burrows and there is sufficient food to sustain them. Swamp rats are not migratory and will remain in place as long as conditions are suitable. My suspicion is that swamp rats are far more abundant this year given the favourable conditions of the last two years. With the next inevitable drought their numbers will decline and their tunnel systems will fade with them.

Hope this helps

Jim
14 February, 2013 18:59

From the above comments I believe this animal trapped in SW Western Australia to be a Black Rat, but would like that confirmed as we have a tribe of them living in our roof.

Hello Jim - the best way would be if you could get a photograph of one of the culprits and send it to us for confirmation, you can send us an image via our 'Ask the Experts'

Rick
21 February, 2013 11:05

I just came home around 10:00 and saw a ratlike animal on its haunches feeding on something. By the time I pulled out my binoculars there was another one that came out from under the timber deck around the in ground pool. I figured this might have been native rats but before they both popped under the deck I noticed they both had a single stipe running down each side. Sorry I'm not too good with colours they could be medium greyish brown with stripe a lighter shade. After they had gone I went out to where the one was feeding near an opening under the deck. I found some small bird feathers bunched up together, an old snail shell that had been chewed into and one dropping hard dark brown 12-15mm long and kind of oblong shaped. The tail seemed hairless and longer than the body. I'm thinking it was a rat but the distinct stripe down the side doesn't match anything I have found on the net. Note I have had the corn in my garden husked and eaten off the stalk recently and it was not uncommon last year to find mandarines on the ground opened up and all the insides eaten. I figured the corn and mandarines were possums but maybe its these guys

Hi Rick, we would be happy to try and identify the mammal but we would heed some images and also a locality as to where you are. If you see him or her again and have your camera please feel free to send the images to discoverycentre@museum.vic.gov.au

Graham
3 March, 2013 17:54

I have found a nest on a shelf in my finery amongst plants, it has been made of entirely of small palm leaves from the seedlings i have in pots . I have seen a glimpse of what I think is a rat...would this be a native? The nest dimensions are about ten centimetres by twenty..I am in gladstone qld
Many thanks

Hi Graham - it's impossible to say without a clear photo, I'm afraid - if you manage to get a clear image of the beast in question, you can up load it to our Ask the Experts page and we can see if an identification is possible

Susan
1 July, 2013 21:27

I live in Eltham, Victoria, and have discovered a small burrow in my vegie patch. It is shallow and goes under the retainer wall. I covered the hole with a brick but the creature soon dug another tunnel. Strangely, none of my vegies have been eaten. I cannot provide a photo of the creature as I have never seen it. What might it be, and what should I do? (I am worried it will destroy my crops.)

Susan, we have the same problem in our community garden enclosure - lots of holes and tunnels. We think the rat is eating the roots possibly, and cannot identify the animal as only one person has seen it. We need to know what to do to encourage it to leave!

Mandy
19 July, 2013 11:35

Hi,I live at Loganholme just south of Brisbane , I live on an acre block all cleared land have many rats and mice living in my house and garages all easy to idendify ,but we had caught an unusal one in the shade house which my husband set free as it didn't look like the common rat and I've got the same looking one living behind the cupboards in spare bedroom .very similar in every way to a rat only It is very pretty looking light grey in colour very long pointy nose the eyes and colour is making me think it is something else as the eyes are heaps larger and bulge out more than the usual rat, quite pretty eyes it seems slightly bigger and has a very long smooth tail. Very good at climbing as when we spotted it it was running along the high beam in the shade house and the one in the house when I turned the light on it was looking at me from on top of the verticle blind rail,he doesn't care I'm in the room with him at night he still makes all the dragging and running around noises in the room even under the bed. Droppings look the same as a rat long and black. Not sure what its eating as my dry dogfood is always invaded but could be the other rats. Found my missing chillis in the corner of the shade house in a dirt filled pot not eaten. Can wild rats be such a light grey with big bulging eyes ?

Hi Mandy - it's not really possible to say what it was you saw, but the pointy nose and eyes you describe may indicate the animal isn't a rodent, it could also be an Antechinus of some sort, which are marsupials related to quolls and the Tasmanian Devil. If you are able to send us a clear image via our Ask the Experts page, we will see if we can identify the animal for you

sue johnson
3 August, 2013 10:56

What a great site & fantastic that people are so keen to care for our native animals. I am fairly certain we have native rats in my chook house. We have spotted probably 20 as night is approaching. They have many burrows underground. I have tried to catch & release but its ongoing. Can you advise if there are any concerns re lice infestation or health threats for our chickens. I collect eggs daily & never leave any overnight so I haven't had any worries regarding eaten eggs. thanks for your advice. :)

Hello Sue - while it isn't possible ot be sure without seeing a clear image, we think it sounds more likely that you have Black Rats Rattus rattus rather than a native species, the behaviour you describe sounds more consistent with commensal rats; typically native rats would only supplement their diet with grain such as birdseed rather than capitalise on it exclusively. If you wanted to be certain, feel free to send us a clear image via the Ask and Expert page.

Ian
15 December, 2013 10:51

Got a squad of animals in my roof and getting annoyed as they are coming into the house. They are Grey Backed with white bellies. Trapped one today but I can here them during the night. Not as loud as possums but active, is it the Norwegian Rat? If so how did they get all the way out here? Capertee Valley NSW?

What a wonderful site, very informative.
I am certain I saw a native rat at work yesterday.
I work in Aireys Inlet in Victoria, taking out horse trail rides through the bush. We get all sorts of wonderful native animals, birds and reptiles. We have the introduced black rat around the horse yards and feed shed occasionally but the rat that ran across the track I was riding along was very different. I instantly noticed the shorter, thinner tail, which would have been barely as long as the body. It had a short, compact body and much shorter face than a black rat. I'm not sure if it was a Bush Rat or another native rat but I'm positive it was native. We were well away from any dwellings and the bush is reasonably thick along that area of the track.
It was quite a treat actually but unfortunately it was so quick that I was unable to point it out for my customers on the ride to see.
Just thought I would share my experience.

Discovery Centre
31 December, 2013 14:13

Hello Trish - obviously we can't verify your identification without seeing an image, but the characteristics you describe are consistent with the two species of native rats known from your general area, being the Swamp Rat and the Bush Rat. We're glad you find our resources helpful, and please feel free to send us any images you may be able to snap via our Ask the Experts page and we'll do our best to offer an identification.

Over the last few weeks we have been losing our chickens. Something has been killing them - but not eating them. We tried setting a trap - one that would not kill but rather catch. It was set off with nothing trapped. It had been caught and managed to pull the wire back to allow it to escape. Then tonight we heard the chickens crying out. We went down and found that one had a brush tale phascogale buried up its hind quarters. I pulled at the tail until I eventually dislodged it. The poor chicken. We are unsure how much damage was done. The tuan attempted to bite me so I could not maintain my grip and a dropped it. Are tuans only carnivorous. We also have antichinus. Last year a number of our fruit trees were continually getting stripped of leaves as they grew. Do you think this would have only been the antichinus or could the tuan have contributed to this too?

Hello Anne - that does sound unfortunate, on first reading I thought it unlikely that a Tuan/Phascogale would've been capable of what you describe; they are generally small nocturnal tree-dwellers that feed on invertebrates. However, having done some research it appears Tuans/Phascogales may have some form in harming captive poultry, a paragraph in "The Mammals of Australia" makes mention of this. You may want to consider reviewing the composition of the coop with a finer mesh that could offer more protection for your birds. In answer to your second question, Antechinuses are insectivores that occasionally eat small vertebrate animals, but would'nt eat leaves in the manner you describe - this sounds more like the act of a rat or a possum of some kind.

Martin
5 November, 2014 21:24

Hi i live close to St Kilda Breakwater and when i went out in the bush i found a big rat of some sort, i will send a picture as soon as possible, i belive it is a rakali but i,am not sure.